The animated "Lego
Movie" arrives in theaters Friday, and with high hopes. Analysts expect it to
top all new releases over the weekend, with a box-office take in the $40
million range. In fact, expectations are so high that Warner Bros. is already
reportedly at work on a sequel. It tops this week's movie
listings, a survey of all the films expected to play full engagements in New
Orleans and Baton Rouge starting Friday (Feb. 7), including where they will
play. Click
here for showtimes. For full reviews visit NOLA.com
| The Times-Picayune's A-to-Z online movie review archive.
All movies are rated on a five-star scale: 5 = superior, 4 = above average, 3 =
good, 2 = fair, 1 = poor.

Oscar Nominated Short Films 2014(3 stars; Unrated)Prytania. The Prytania Theatre hosts its annual
weeklong engagement of the films nominated for Academy Awards in the animated
shorts category and the live-action shorts category, divided into two separate
programs. Running time varies by program,
about 2 hours each.

Vampire Academy (PG-13) Chalmette Movies, Elmwood Palace, Clearview Palace, Hammond Palace,
West Bank Palace, Kenner Grand, Perkins Rowe (Baton Rouge), Baton Rouge 16,
Mall of Louisiana (Baton Rouge), Baton Rouge Citiplace 11, Baton Rouge Grand. The first book in the young adult series
tells the story of a half human, half vampire young woman who is part of a race
tasked with protecting a community of peaceful mortal vampires against a band
of bloodthirsty immortal ones. Zoey Deutch, Olga Kurylenko, Joely Richardson
and Sarah Hyland star in director Mark Waters' film. 1 hour 44 minutes.

Robocop (PG-13) The 1987 sci-fi fave gets a remake,
set in the year 2028 and telling the story of a cop who, after being gunned
down in the line of duty, is resurrected as a half-man, half-robot
crime-fighting machine.Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton,
Abbie Cornish, Jackie Earle Haley and Samuel L. Jackson star in director Jose
Padilha's film. 1 hour 58 minutes.

12
Years a Slave(5 stars; R) Elmwood Palace, West Bank Palace, Perkins
Rowe (Baton Rouge). Steve McQueen
directs a New Orleans-shot adaptation of the memoirs of Solomon Northup, a free
man of color who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1841. Benedict
Cumberbatch, Michael Fassbender and Sarah Paulson co-star in a film that
appears to be all but assured of award-season glory. 2 hours 13 minutes.

American Hustle(4 stars; R) Canal Place, Elmwood Palace, Kenner Grand,
Slidell Grand, Perkins Rowe (Baton Rouge), Mall of Louisiana (Baton Rouge). After their success last year with "Silver
Linings Playbook," actors Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro reunite with writer-director David O. Russell -- with the likes of Christian
Bale, Jeremy Renner and Amy Adams joining the party -- for a 1970s-set drama
about a con man (Bale) who is forced to work for the FBI as part of the ABSCAM
scandal. 2 hours 18 minutes.

August:
Osage County (3 stars;
R) Canal Place, Elmwood Palace,
Kenner Grand, Slidell Grand, Baton Rouge 16. Tracy Letts' Pulitzer-winning play gets the big-screen treatment,
telling the story of a dysfunctional Oklahoma family whose members are drawn by
a family crisis back to the house in which they grew up -- and to the
sharp-tongued woman who raised them. Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Juliette
Lewis, Ewan McGregor, Chris Cooper, Abigail Breslin, Benedict Cumberbatch and
Sam Shepard star in director John Wells' film. 2 hours 1 minute.

The Best Man Holiday(2 stars; R) LaPlace
Hollywood 7. Set 15 years after
the 1999 comedy "The Best Man," it's a sequel that reunites much of the cast
for a Christmas reunion, a gathering that illustrates that time has little
bearing on rivalry and romance. Taye Diggs, Morris Chestnut, Harold Perrineau
and Terrence Howard star in director Malcolm D. Lee's ensemble film. 2 hours 4 minutes.

The Devil's Due(Unreviewed; R) West Bank Palace, LaPlace Hollywood 7. A newly married couple gets some lovely
news: They're going to have a baby. But when the husband begins to notice odd
behavior from his wife, he slowly begins to realize something sinister is at
work. Allison Miller and Zach Gilford star in co-directors Matt
Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett's horror thriller.89 minutes.

Gravity
(5 stars; PG-13) Elmwood Palace,
West Bank Palace, Baton Rouge 16. Sandra Bullock and George Clooney star
in a sci-fi drama about astronauts -- left adrift in space after their craft
collides with a debris field -- who must figure out a way to get back home.
Alfonso Cuaron directs, based on a script he co-wrote. 1 hour 33 minutes.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire(3 stars; PG-13)LaPlace Hollywood 7. The "Hunger Games" sequel, easily one of the
more anticipated films of the season, sees
Katniss and Peeta become targets of the Capitol after their defiant
victory in the 74th annual Hunger Games. Based on the second book in
the series by Suzanne Collins, it stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson,
Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Philip Seymour Hoffman and
Donald Sutherland. 2 hours 26 minutes.

Tyler Perry's A Madea
Christmas (Unreviewed; PG-13) LaPlace Hollywood 7. Tyler Perry dons the grandma gear once more
to portray Madea, who this time accompanies a friend on a trip to the country
to pay a surprise visit to that friend's daughter. The country will never be
the same. Alicia Witt, Chad Michael Murray, Kathy Najimy and Anna Maria
Horsford co-star in a film written and directed by Perry. 1 hour 45 minutes.